Time to make use of our KAZA visa! In the morning, we navigated the border crossing from Zimbabwe to Zambia, just over the Victoria Falls Bridge above Rapid 2-3 on the Zambezi River. The bridge is a popular spot for bungee jumping. But, we were headed for a different kind of adrenaline activity of our own.
Shortly after the border crossing, we arrived at the boat launch for Livingstone Island. This is where the Scottish explorer David Livingstone first saw the Falls in November 1855. We took a short jet boat ride out to the small island then stripped down to our swimsuits and left our belongings behind. What did we get ourselves into?
There is only a brief window of the year when it’s possible to go out to Devil’s Pool from the island. The water level has to be low enough to allow for safe swimming, generally from late August to early January. In fact, when we met local guide Hippo at the beginning of the trip, he noted that the Devil’s Pool had just opened for the year, but he personally wouldn’t venture out to it for another few weeks to allow the water level to go down further. Well, here goes nothing.
We basically formed a conga line as we traversed across the top of the Falls. We were instructed to hold hands with one another and to place our feet exactly where the guide did. The bottom was quite rocky and the water depth was variable, so sometimes I was immersed in water up to my hips. Eventually we reached the spot where we had to swim a short distance across the moving current to reach the next rocky outcropping. This was mildly terrifying for fear of getting swept over the Falls! Once we were back on solid ground again, then we had to make the final short swim across the natural “tea cup” at the edge of the Falls. Thankfully, Dave was there to grab me while I got myself secured on the ledge.
After some photo ops, I wanted to get the heck out of there! And, Kurt was ready to get dry because he was visibly shaking from being in the water while the morning temp was still cool. Instead of the swim back, we held on to the safety rope tied across the top of the Falls and walked back in the water to the island, as I tried to keep my legs steady underneath me instead of getting kicked up by the current. The guides even carried a couple of our older guests over on their backs. A delicious breakfast was waiting for us once we returned to Livingstone Island.
As if that wasn’t enough excitement for the day, then we had the opportunity to interact with the elephants once we got back to the lodge, including the chance to feed them! Trunk up, Jumbo!
Having seen Vic Falls from so many angles by this point, it was finally time for us to visit Victoria Falls National Park itself. An easy to follow paved path through the rainforest takes visitors to 16 various viewpoints of the Falls.
Kurt was the only one interested in walking the entire path (which ended overlooking the Boiling Pot where our rafting journey began several days prior), as the rest of us wanted one last opportunity to shop for local souvenirs in town.
Our shopping excursion was rushed though because we had to get back to the lodge to meet up with our local rafting guides who were joining us to pick up the dry bags and to preview our video from the trip. Grab a glass of wine and watch on the big screen like we did!
Afterwards, I asked them to sing one last song for us. These were very special moments of the trip for me.
It’s hard to believe that this amazing journey that we embarked upon nearly a month ago is coming to an end tomorrow as we fly back to the States. We visited eight countries over two continents. So many miles hiked, kayaked, and rafted in beautiful landscapes. Abundant wildlife witnessed in their natural habitat. New friendships forged through shared adventure. This was truly a trip of a lifetime, and I honestly can’t believe that we pulled it off.
When we first met Diego after arriving at Vic Falls airport, I asked him what his favorite rivers are to run. After some consideration, he replied, Zambezi, Fu, White Nile, and Cotahuasi, in no particular order. Having done two of those now, I told him that we’d come to Peru next if he kept us in the boat on this trip. Well, even though we swam, the Cotahuasi is calling me for next year. I think that running big water rivers is kind of like running a marathon – while you are doing it, you are questioning why and adamantly saying never again. But, after a few days, you are ready to sign up for the next one!